USA’s Gable Steveson scores late to win wrestling gold

CHIBA, Japan — With 10 seconds remaining, Gable Steveson trailed successful the biggest wrestling lucifer of his beingness by 3 points.

When the timepiece deed zero, helium was an Olympic golden medalist.

Steveson was losing to Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili 8-5 with clip moving out. The 21-year-old American remained composed and took power against his much experienced opponent, scoring connected a spin-behind takedown with 10 seconds remaining, past different with little than a 2nd near to triumph the men’s freestyle 125-kilogram last 10-8 connected Friday night.

Steveson held up 2 fingers for 2 points aft the decisive move, but adjacent helium couldn’t judge what happened.

“I looked astatine the timepiece and it was similar 0.3,” Steveson said. “And I was like, ‘Ain’t nary way.’ And my caput conscionable similar flushed with everything. And I was like, ‘Wow.’”

Georgia challenged the last points, to nary avail. Steveson gained a constituent connected the challenge, giving him 5 points successful 10 seconds.

Steveson, who has aspirations of joining World Wrestling Entertainment, past played to the constricted crowd. He walked astir the mat with the U.S. emblem draped implicit his shoulders, past dazzled with the backflip helium saves for his biggest victories.

“You know, I enactment connected a bully show,” helium said. “People are going to retrieve the sanction Gable Steveson.”

It looked arsenic if Steveson mightiness person different casual day. He outscored his opponents 23-0 successful the archetypal 3 rounds and dominated 2016 Olympic golden medalist Taha Akgul 8-0 successful the quarterfinals.

Things got tougher successful the final. Petriashvili, the No. 1 seed, is simply a three-time satellite champion who was an Olympic bronze medalist successful 2016.

Steveson led the last 5-2 earlier Petriashvili scored connected a azygous limb takedown and 2 gut wrenches to spell up 8-5.

With the unit on, Steveson came up with a program to get the points helium needed. It makes consciousness that helium came done — helium was named for American Dan Gable, the 1972 Olympic golden medalist and a erstwhile longtime assemblage coach.

Now, the wrestling satellite awaits Steveson’s adjacent move.

He could instrumentality to schoolhouse for his elder play and currency successful connected the NCAA rules changes regarding name, representation and likeness. Steveson was the heavyweight champion astatine the University of Minnesota this past play and shared the Dan Hodge Trophy for the nation’s champion assemblage wrestler. He already has immoderate deals successful place.

He has talked astir joining World Wrestling Entertainment. He has known WWE manager Paul Heyman since helium was successful inferior high, and helium was photographed astatine WrestleMania with Heyman and pro wrestling prima Roman Reigns. One of his mentors, Brock Lesnar, is simply a erstwhile pro wrestling and mixed martial arts champion.

Steveson isn’t acceptable to look up yet, saying he’s “living successful my moment.” He said he’ll instrumentality location to Minnesota and decompress earlier making decisions.

“There’s a batch of possibilities for maine with this golden medal,” helium said. “A batch of doors opened aft maine winning a nationalist title, and present the full satellite is unfastened for maine to spot aft this Olympic golden medal.”

Steveson earned $250,000 for claiming the golden medal.

“I’ll astir apt spell instrumentality my household retired to eat,” helium said. “We each got to devour steaks backmost astatine home. Probably bargain my ma a Louis Vuitton purse. She deserves it.”

Akgul defeated Mongolia’s Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur 5-0 successful a bronze medal lucifer astatine 125kg.

“I came present for back-to-back golden medals aft Rio, but I had to settee for bronze,” helium said. “I did my best, I deliberation I was unlucky successful the quarterfinals, but that tin happen. An Olympic medal is inactive important and valuable.”

Iran’s Amir Dare defeated China’s Zhiwei Deng 5-0 successful the different bronze medal match.

More golden could beryllium coming for the United States. American Kyle Snyder, the returning Olympic golden medalist successful the men’s 97kg freestyle class, volition spell for golden connected Saturday. He defeated Turkey’s Suleyman Karadeniz 5-0 successful a semifinal. He volition look the Russian Olympic Committee’s Abdulrashid Sadulaev successful the final. Sadualev, the No. 1 effect successful this class, won golden astatine 86kg successful 2016 and is simply a four-time satellite champion.

The Russian Olympic Committee’s Zaurbek Sidakov defeated Belarus’ Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau 7-0 to triumph wrestling golden successful the men’s freestyle 74kg class.

American Kyle Dake defeated Italy’s Frank Chamizo 5-0 for bronze. Chamizo was the No. 1 seed, and some are two-time satellite champions. Dake bushed 2012 Olympic golden medalist Jordan Burroughs astatine the Olympic Trials to gain the spot connected the team.

“I’m feeling beauteous good,” Dake said. “A batch of antithetic battles went into it, and a small spot of a gut cheque to spell get a medal.”

Uzbekistan’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov defeated Kazakhstan’s Daniyar Kaisanov 13-2 to assertion the different bronze astatine 74 kg.

Japan’s Mayu Mukaida rallied to bushed China’s Qianyu Pang 5-4 and assertion golden successful the women’s freestyle 53kg class. It was Japan’s 3rd golden successful women’s wrestling.

Mongolia’s Bolortuya Bat Ochir and Belarus’ Vanesa Kaladzinskaya won bronze.

American Jacarra Winchester mislaid her bronze medal lucifer by autumn to Belarus’ Vanesa Kaladzinskaya successful the 53kg freestyle class.

USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt led China’s Yanan Sun 7-1 astatine the interruption successful the women’s 50kg freestyle semifinal, but Sun rallied successful the last seconds to triumph 10-7. Hildebrandt volition wrestle for bronze connected Saturday.